Last chance to save Māui dolphins

The Government’s
proposed rescue plan must be strengthened because it is the
last chance to save Māui dolphins from extinction and
secure the future for Hector’s dolphins, Forest & Bird
says.

Submissions close tomorrow for the Ministry of
Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand’s Hector’s and
Māui dolphin Threat Management Plan consultation.

Forest
and Bird’s submission welcomes many of the proposals to
enhance protections for both the Māui and Hector’s
sub-species, Forest & Bird Marine Conservation Advocate
Anton van Helden says. But he adds the proposals fall short
of securing the future for these rare and beautiful animals
found nowhere else in the world.

“There are only around
60 Māui dolphins over a year old left in the world. Every
single one counts and threats created by humans are driving
them towards extinction,” Mr van Helden says.

“We need
to tackle every one of those threats and half measures
won’t save Māui dolphins. Set net and trawl fishing and
dangers related to oil, gas and minerals exploration and
mining are known threats that we can eliminate.

“Small
local populations of Hector’s dolphins are also in danger
of disappearing and we must protect these to safeguard the
future of the overall population.”

Forest & Bird wants
only dolphin-friendly fishing methods to be allowed in their
habitat. This means switching from commercial and
recreational set net fishing and commercial trawl fishing
throughout the range of Māui and Hector’s dolphins in
waters out to a depth of 100 metres.

Methods such as
long-lining, potting and purse seine would still be among
those available to fishers.

“Zero bycatch is the only
acceptable goal for both Māui and Hector’s dolphins.
Forest & Bird realises this will cause disruption to some
fishers and believes the government should provide financial
and practical help for those affected.”

Seismic surveys
and other activities related to oil, gas and other marine
mining activities have no place in the dolphins’ habitat,
Forest & Bird submitted. While the management plan proposals
include expanding marine mammal sanctuaries, they also allow
exemptions for 21 existing permit holders in Māui dolphin
habitat until 2046.

“Māui dolphins could be extinct
before the permits expire,” Mr van Helden says.

Seismic
surveying activities are controlled by the 2013 Code of
Conduct but this falls well short of best practice and is no
longer fit for purpose based on the latest science.

The
threat posed by toxoplasmosis, a disease spread by cat
faeces washed into the ocean, is not well understood and
Forest & Bird supports a proposed research programme to
better understand its impact and ways to combat
it.

Research shows the disease kills dolphins with
weakened immune systems. We must reduce the human impacts
that degrade their environment, including fishing, mining,
pollution, and the effects of climate change.

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